Allegiant showed the region is ripe for airlines

Posted:
08/31/2012 06:15:23 PM MDT

Reporter-Herald Editorial

When Allegiant Travel Co. announced it was going to add the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport to its schedule of flights to and from its hub of Las Vegas, residents were understandably overjoyed.

It had been many years since an air carrier had flown out of the airport in Loveland city limits, and in that time, the population of Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley had seen a giant leap. In 2010, the airline added the Phoenix area to its offering of destinations. The company had plans to make Loveland more than a feeder for its Arizona and Nevada operations, but a potential destination, too. After all, the local airport would be the closest major entryway into Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, which draws millions of visitors from around the globe each year. It even sought marketing funds from Loveland to help achieve that mission.

Passengers flocked to the service, too. Reports showed that flights were nearly full for most trips, and sometimes so full that planes would have to refuel partway into their trip.

With that backdrop, it's disheartening to see that the airline has decided, rather abruptly, to abandon its service to Northern Colorado. On Monday, local officials got word of the final departure for Allegiant, and passengers soon were being offered refunds.

What has yet to be stated are the internal business reasons for the airline to let go of what had seemed to be a profitable route. There are some legacy carriers who would have loved to be working at the capacity of Allegiant.

What that also means, however, is that Loveland and Fort Collins have an opportunity to bring in a carrier that won't be limited to just a couple of destinations. It will be tricky, however, because carriers that already serve Denver International Airport might not see the incremental value of adding a destination that might eat into its main traffic.

However, if there are lessons that can be learned from Allegiant's foray into Northern Colorado, it's that the market will support air travel and the local facilities can handle the load, at least for now.